Dealing With Feelings

Some kids look "easy" because they're safe and supported. Some kids look "easy" because they learned to scan the room, manage the adults, and keep their real feelings out of the way. In this episode, Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with therapist and educator Eli Harwood (Attachment Nerd) to talk about what secure attachment actually looks like in real life, especially in the moments that make us unco...

"Feeling like you matter" often gets treated like a nice idea. Something soft. Something optional. In reality, it is a core human need, and when it's missing, the consequences show up everywhere, from disengagement at work to loneliness at home. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with journalist and bestselling author Jennifer Breheny Wallace on Dealing With Feeling to talk about what mattering really me...

"Be patient" gets treated like a virtue in every system. Sometimes it is. Sometimes it is the line that keeps unfairness in place, because it asks the people carrying the cost to stay quiet so everyone else can stay comfortable. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Dr. Christina "Chris" Cipriano on Dealing With Feeling to talk about what patience looks like when it is wisdom, and what it looks like wh...

We call it "being productive," but for a lot of us it's a nervous system stuck in go mode. Always on. Always bracing. Then someone says "just breathe" and it sounds like a joke. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with former NFL wide receiver and mindfulness facilitator Brandon "SOUL COLE" Coleman to talk about what happens when performance mode becomes your identity and stillness starts to feel unsafe....

We call it "normal life." But for most of us, it's a low-grade chronic stress loop. News alerts. Group chats. Doomscrolling. Constant urgency. In this episode of Dealing With Feeling, Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with clinical psychologist and author Dr. Elisha Goldstein to explore how tiny emotional shifts can interrupt stress patterns, strengthen relationships, and change the trajectory of our he...

Gaslighting is not just an argument. It is a slow erosion of identity. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with his longtime friend and colleague Dr. Robin Stern to unpack The Gaslight Effect, how anxiety fuels both the gaslighter and the gaslightee, and what it takes to rebuild self-trust. They explore how people don't lose their reality overnight. They lose it in inches, one second-guess at a time. In t...

Teens have language for anxiety. Most adults never got language for their own feelings. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Jamie Lockwood and Liz Fletcher to talk about what it means to raise and teach teens in this mental health moment. Together, they explore why more "mental health talk" hasn't solved the crisis, what teens actually need from adults, and how to support big feelings without shuttin...

We turned happiness into a checklist. Then wondered why it never feels like enough. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Dr. Laurie Santos to unpack the "happiness trap" and the quiet ways we chase the wrong things. They talk about miswanting, why we get obsessed with the future, and how a life that looks good on paper can still feel empty on the inside. You'll hear what the research actually says hel...

The worst part of anxiety is not the feeling. It's the loop. The "what if" that keeps feeding itself until it feels like truth. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Dr. Judson Brewer to unpack how worry becomes a habit, why reassurance and mental debate often backfire, and how curiosity can disrupt the cycle without forcing you to "think positive." In this conversation: How anxiety becomes a loop: tri...

Most of us aren't trying to raise perfect kids. We're trying to raise kids who can handle life without falling apart. The problem is… adults are drowning too. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Dr. Aliza Pressman on Dealing With Feeling to break down what emotionally healthy parenting actually looks like in real time—especially when your child is melting down, you're depleted, and every instinct is...

If you only regulate once you're already at a 10, you're not practicing resilience. You're doing damage control. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Stephanie Boxerbaum on Dealing With Feeling to unpack why high-achievers resist mindfulness, what "enoughness" actually means when you still care about excellence, and how to build small, real practices that prevent the spiral instead of cleaning it up a...

When anxiety hits, the impulse is to hide it, power through it, or act fast so it goes away. But what if the stronger move is the pause? Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Liza Soberano to talk about what it's like to navigate fear under public pressure, how she uses boundaries and goals to stay grounded, and what it means to choose a response instead of reacting to the moment. In this conversation:...

"Do you enjoy not liking your body?" It is a brutal question. And for a lot of people, it lands like truth. Dr. Marc Brackett sits down with Katie Sturino, founder of Megababe and author of Sunny Side Up, to unpack how shame and early messages shape our self-story, why body image struggles are nearly universal, and what it takes to move from self-criticism to self-acceptance. In this conversation:...

What if productivity isn't about moving faster, but about training your brain to be still? Mo Edjlali joins Dr. Marc Brackett on Dealing With Feelings to map out mindfulness that actually works in modern workplaces. No guru voice. No fluff. Just practical habits that hold up under pressure. In this conversation: Mindfulness explained simply and why state vs trait matters The outcomes leaders actua...

What if anxiety isn't proof something is wrong with you, but proof you care deeply and feel pulled in two directions? Dr. Doug Mennin joins Dr. Marc Brackett on Dealing With Feeling to explore Emotion Regulation Therapy and a more honest way to work with anxiety—without shutting yourself down. In this conversation: Why anxiety peaks when something matters to you How emotional clarity starts with a...

We're more stressed than ever, even with therapy, self-help, and mindfulness apps. So what are we missing? Dr. Rajita Sinha joins Dr. Marc Brackett on Dealing With Feeling to break down the real science of stress, why "just calm down" rarely works, and what actually helps your body recover when life stays relentless. In this conversation: Why stress is not "in your head" and what it does in the bo...

Scott Barry Kaufman has spent his career studying human potential. In his book Rise Above, he challenges one of the most common ways people get stuck, the belief that your past equals your future. In this episode of Dealing With Feeling, Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman and Dr. Marc Brackett unpack what a victim mindset looks like in real life, how it quietly steals agency, and what it means to move forwar...

What if the reason you feel stuck is not a lack of talent. It is emotional. Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle joins Dr. Marc Brackett on Dealing With Feeling to explore the emotional side of creativity, and why most of us were never taught how to work with the feelings that show up before inspiration does. They discuss what creativity really is, why being "gifted" is a myth that keeps people frozen, and...

Filmmakers Horacio Marquinez and Kirill Myltsev join Dr. Marc Brackett on Dealing with Feeling for a special bonus episode about their documentary America Unfiltered. They drove across the United States collecting voices that rarely get centered. What they found was not just a story about politics. It was a story about pain, belonging, empathy, and what happens when we stop listening to each other...

What if "look on the bright side" is actually making things worse? Whitney Goodman joins Dr. Marc Brackett on Dealing with Feeling to unpack toxic positivity, why it's so tempting, and how it quietly trains us to distrust our own emotions. They explore the difference between real support and emotional dismissal, and what it looks like to show up with validation instead of pressure. In this convers...

What if the goal isn't to eliminate anxiety in kids, but to help them feel safe enough to face it? Dr. Eli Lebowitz joins Dr. Marc Brackett on Dealing With Feeling to unpack what childhood anxiety really is, why well-meaning adults can accidentally feed the fear, and what it looks like to support kids without overprotecting them. In this conversation: What childhood anxiety is and what it is not T...

Dr. Dawn Brooks-DeCosta joins Dr. Marc Brackett on Dealing with Feeling to explore what happens when social and emotional learning is delivered with culture, care, and true community partnership. A longtime educator and Deputy Superintendent in Harlem's District 5, Dawn shares what it takes to build schools where students feel seen, families feel respected, and emotional learning becomes something...

What if anxiety isn't something to eliminate, but a signal calling you forward? In this episode of Dealing With Feelings, Marc Brackett sits down with psychologist and neuroscientist Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary to rethink anxiety as information — and learn how to work with it instead of fighting it. In this conversation, we cover: Anxiety as uncertainty between present reality and future possibilities...

Irene's Entropy joins Dr. Marc Brackett on Dealing With Feeling to explore what happens when your identity is built around rules that leave no room for real emotion. A storyteller, artist, mechanical engineer, and musician, Irene shares her journey of leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and rebuilding a life rooted in emotional freedom, creativity, and self-trust. Her motto is...

Dr. Dacher Keltner joins Dr. Marc Brackett on Dealing with Feeling to explore a surprising question: What if awe—not control—is one of our most powerful tools for easing anxiety? They unpack how everyday moments of wonder can soften stress, reconnect us to others, and reshape how we relate to difficult emotions. From micro-practices you can try immediately to deeper reflections on moral beauty, co...